Pragati Maidan

Pragati Maidan, literally "progress grounds") is a venue for large exhibitions and conventions in New Delhi. It has an area of nearly 150 acres (more than 625,000 square metres of exhibition space, being among the biggest exhibition centers in India'.[1] It is owned, operated, controlled and managed by India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), the trade promotion agency of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India. It is partially under redevelopment since 2018, for the ambitious International Exhibition & Convention Centre (IECC) project.[2][3]

Pragati Maidan
Neighbourhood
Pragati Maidan
Location in Delhi, India
Coordinates: 28.616813°N 77.243359°E / 28.616813; 77.243359
CountryIndia
StateDelhi
MetroNew Delhi
Languages
 • OfficialHindi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
110023
Planning agencyNew Delhi Municipal Corporation
Pragati Maidan, Hall 6. Hall of Nations

History

The overall layout and project was designed by architect Raj Rewal .[4] It was inaugurated on 3 November 1972 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, on the eve of the International Trade Fair called Asia 72.[5] The venue and the event were meant to celebrate 25 years of India's Independence.[6]

It is a huge complex of buildings, covering over 150 acres (0.61 km2) sprinkled with many lawns, overlooking the historic Purana Qila, which stands opposite Gate no 1. These fine examples of post-independence architecture have been included on the World Monuments Fund's 2018 list of monuments at risk to highlight their importance and need for protection.[7]

The complex houses many pavilions like the Nehru Pavilion, the Defence Pavilion, the Indira Pavilion, and the Son of India Pavilion. It has various building which are built in various shapes and sizes. It also has an auditorium where rock shows and plays are held quite frequently. There is also an internal shuttle service for those who do not wish to walk. Pragati Maidan used to house a movie theatre called Shakuntalam, quite popular among college kids for its comparatively cheap tickets. The complex houses 18 exhibition halls,[8] several buildings, eateries, performance spaces and compounds, including headquarters of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), and hosts over 70 national and international exhibitions annually, with the largest being the India International Trade Fair which attracts over 10,000 exhibitors and over 30,00,000 visitors.[9][10]

Pragati Maidan is flanked by Mathura Road to its West and Bhairon Road on the South. To its east runs the main railway line to Central and Southern India. Pragati Maidan is situated in Central Delhi in the pincode area of 110001.[11] Pragati Maidan offers about 61,290 sq. metres of covered exhibition space in 16 halls, besides 10,000 sq. metres of open display area.[12]

In 2006, ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, a Rs 1,260-crore redevelopment plan was initiated by the government.[9][13] Pragati Maidan may house a new convention centre that would be five to eight times bigger in capacity than Vigyan Bhavan.[14]

Recurring events
The Auto Expo, Asia's largest auto show,[15] was held biennially at Pragati Maidan

This complex houses five permanent exhibitions which include the Nehru Pavalion, Atomic Energy and Defense Pavilion. Some of the events held in Pragati Maidan are the India International Trade Fair, World Book Fair and the Auto Expo.[16]

The two-week-long India International Trade Fair (IITF) begins here each year on 14 November. In 1999, during the fair, two new air-conditioned halls 12 and 13 on an area of 9,000 sq. m. were opened to public, when some 5,200 enterprises, over 70 companies from 14 countries set up shop.[17] The 2003 IITF saw 25 lakh visitors to Pragati Maidan.[18] Today, Northern Railways runs special trains to Pragati Maidan during the annual fair,[19] as does the Delhi Metro, which handled an average daily ridership of 50,000 commuters during the 2008 fair.[20]

At a corner of Pragati Maidan, on Mathura Road lies "Matka Peer" or the dargah shrine of Hazrat Sheikh Abubakr Tusi Qalandari, a mystic who came to Delhi from Iran, around the 1260s CE.[21] Further down on Bhairon road, lies the National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum and further down stands the National Science Centre. The Pragati Maidan Delhi Metro station which is the largest station on the section built over an area of 6,800 square metres, opened in November 2006, during the ongoing India International Trade Fair, and on the eight day, over 2 lakh passenger used the facility.[22][23]

Each year, the Income Tax Department opens over 150 counters for filing Income Tax returns.[24][25] It also hosted Wills Lifestyle Indian Fashion Week (WIFW) of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), in 2008 and 2009.,[26] apart from exhibitions of almost all major industries, from toys, leather, lifestyle products and services, exports to medical equipment and sports equipments, and even a job fair.[27]

Accessibility

Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station is 3 km from Pragati Maidan. The best way to reach Pragati Maidan is by Delhi Metro. Get down at the Pragati Maidan metro station which is located at gate number 10.

Images
  • Hall 1
  • Inside halls 2/3/4/5
  • Nescafé stall and halls 2/3/4/5
  • Inside hall 6
  • Inside hall 14
  • Inside hall 18
  • Inside hall 18
  • Inside hall 18
  • Inside hall 18
  • Mother Dairy restaurant
  • Lake

See also

References
  1. "When carmakers come to Delhi, even Pragati Maidan falls short of space". Indianexpress.com. 9 January 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  2. Dalvi, Mustansir. "The demolished Hall of Nations was a terrific example of a young country's Make in India spirit". Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  3. Suneet Zishan Langar. The Demolition of Delhi's Hall of Nations Reveals India's Broken Attitude to Architectural Heritage. ArchDaily, 23 June 2017
  4. "Raj Rewal - Hall of Nations". Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  5. "Developing modern fair culture". The Times Of India. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  6. "Nation-Building - Durai's Story". Freewebs.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  7. "Post-Independence Architecture of Delhi". 2018 World Monuments Watch. World Monuments Fund.
  8. "India Trade Promotion Organisation". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 21 October 2006. Retrieved 1 November 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. "All new Pragati Maidan by 2010". Financialexpress.com. 24 March 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  10. "Staid Pragati Maidan to turn up market". Indianexpress.com. 8 October 1998. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  11. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924034252/http://www.india-codes.com/pin-codes/pragati-maidan-pin-code-delhi-110001
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 December 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Pragati Maidan to get new showcase". The Times Of India. 30 August 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  14. "Pragati Maidan new convention centre". Articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  15. "Front Page : Asia's largest auto carnival begins in Delhi tomorrow". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 9 January 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  16. "Auto Expo 2010 musings". Livemint.com. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  17. "Pragati Maidan madness begins tomorrow". Indian Express. 13 November 1999. Archived from the original on 23 September 2003.
  18. "Trade fair ends on a busy note". The Times of India. 28 November 2003.
  19. "Northern Railway to run special trains to Pragati Maidan". Zee News. 14 November 2008. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013.
  20. "DMRC gears up for International Trade Fair rush". The Times of India. 19 November 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  21. Nivedita Khandekar (1 December 2012). "The pitchers of serenity". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  22. "`Over 2 lakh passengers used Pragati Maidan Metro'". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 20 November 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  23. "Pragati Maidan will be the biggest Metro station". The Times of India. 2 October 2004. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  24. "Huge rush at Pragati Maidan counters". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 31 October 2004. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  25. "SPECIAL COUNTER IN PRAGATI MAIDAN FOR FILING I.T. RETURN". PIB, Ministry of Finance. 27 July 2006.
  26. "Pragati Maidan to get fashionable this year". CNN-IBN. 24 July 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  27. "Biggest ever job fair at Pragati Maidan". The Times of India. 21 August 2004. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
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